ÍEGISI.ATIVE &amp;lt;JOVNCXÍm. Thursday, September 19, 1844. The following business was transacted after the time our report of last week closed. Por the police establishment of Melbourne, the sum of £1042 16s. was voted. For the water police, Sydney, £750 was granted. For the water police, Melbourne, £287 5s. For the police expenses of the district of Sydney, the sum of £419 15s. was voted. The sum of £1532 6s. 3d. was then proposed to defray the police expenses of the district of Parramatta, and after some discussion on the propriety of abolishing the office of chief con- stable the amount was voted. The sum of £737 Is. 3d. was voted for the police expenses of the district of Liverpool. For Cambelltown, the sum of £583 16s. 3d. was voted. The sum of £477 6s. 3d. was then proposed to defray the expenses of the police district of Camden and Narrellan, but after some dis- cussion Mr. Windeyer proposed as an amend- ment that the whole item should be strack out, with the exception ...

MAITLAND CIRCUIT COURT. Criminal Side.-Monday, Sept. 23. (Before his Honor Mr. Justice a'Beckett.) MURDER. Benjamin Stanley was indicted for the wilful murder of Robert Campbell, at William River, on the 30th May last, by shooting him with a pistol : a second count in the indictment charged the prisoner with having murdered the said Robert Campbell by cutting his throat with a knife. The Attorney General addressed the jury, and said the prisoner was arraigned on a charge of wilful murder, and his life or death depended on the verdict which they would return; he besought them therefore to banish from their minds all reports which they might previously have heard prejudicial to the prisoner. Even if .any of the jurors had any private knowledge of the case they were not at liberty to disclose it to their fellow jurors except they were sworn as witnesses and what they knew was stated upon -oath, so that the court and the prisoner might be put in full possession of it. Their verdict was ...

Married. On the 27th instant, at West Maitland, by &amp;nbsp; special license, by the Rev. W. M'lntyre, A.M., Robert M'Intosh, Esq., M.D.,of Peel River, to Lavinia, youngest daughter of the late T. Williamson, Esq., of London.

BRZTISH EXTRACTS. Useful Caution.-The following extract will show the danger and folly of the practice of keeping milk in zinc bowls, a custom which has lately become very prevalent ; these articles being sold with the recommendation of a larger quantity of cream being produced, owing to the galvanic action :-" I would scarcely have believed," says Dr. Elanes, of Berlin, "that zinc vessels could again have come into use for holding any fluids used for alimentary purposes, as Vanquelin 40 years ago proved that such were certain, after a short time, to hold a con siderable portion of zinc in solution. I have found by experiments, that a solution of sugar, which had stood only a few hours in the summer in a zhic vessel, contained a considerable amount of zinc salts. It has been often stated the cream will separate more easily from milk if the latter be kept for a short time in a zinc vessel. As, however, it is known that milk will turn acid much sooner than a solution of sugar, it is t...

COI.ONIAX. INTEXiXiIGENCE. PORT PHILLIP. In our advertising columns will be found an announcement, as novel as it is pleasing, that the aborigines of the Lake Colac tribe are ready to undertake the charge of cattle, on terms, in addition to shepherding the flock of sheep already in their possession.-Geelong Advertiser. Dairy Produce.-Butter is selling in Mel- bourne at 7d. per lb., and fresh eggs at 4d. per dozen ; prices much lower than have been here- tofore obtained for these articles. Bark.-This article appears to abound in the Van Diemen's Land market. There are five hundred tons now lying ready for shipment; and some idea of its abundance may be formed from the facts that one gentleman has twelve hundred tons on his property ready for shipping, and that any quantity can be supplied to the Launceston market and shipped at the rate of twenty-five shillings per ton. Under these cir- cumstances, the utter impossibility of our market competing with the other colony in the produc- t...

X.EGISIi&amp;TIVE COTJNCHi. Thursday, September 26, 1844. Mr. Cowper presented a petition from the inhabitants of the district of the Field of Mars complaining of the heavy dues to which their produce was subject, particularly in crossing Bedlam Ferry. The petition was read and received. Mr. Cowper presented a petition from the clergymen and inhabitants of Sutton Forest and Berrima against the Irish system of education. Read and received. The Collector of Customs moved for the re-committal of the Customs Bill, in order to a re-consideration of the 91st clause, which related to the application of penalties levied under the act, and as the clause was originally proposed they were appropriated, "one moiety to her Majesty for the public uses of the said colony, &amp;c," and this the Council had altered to " for the purposes of the general revenue of the said colony," and his object in moving for the re- committal of the bill was that the original words should be introduced. Mr. ...

ORIGINAX CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editors of the Maitland Mercury. Gentlemen-Notwithstanding the unphilo sophic form in which the philosophic query which appeared in your last paper concerning mental radiation was put, still it is far indeed from being unworthy of notice. What your querist mentions in the very questionable mode of a "philosopher's say" is an ascertained physi- cal truth, viz., that a rushlight, on the instant of its ignition, and before the observer can see that it has lost any portion of its substance, will be visible at a distance of three miles ; and three miles in every direction is nearly thirty-six square miles, as stated. The attempt to establish any analogy between the emission of light and the diffusion and transmission of thought is truly ridiculous in the mode in which your querist put it. It is a settled truth, since the days of Euclid, that analogy can only subsist between quantities of like kind, or such that the one can be multiplied so as to exceed the...

BRITISH NEWS. By the arrival of the Abberton at Port Phillip, from Cork, which place she left on the 1st June, we have English news to the 31st May. The most important is the sentence upon Mr. O'connell and the other travcrsers, and their immediate incarceration in Richmond Bridewell, Dublin. Several days had been occupied with a fruit- less motion in arrest of judgment, and on Thursday, the 30th May, the proceedings were brought to a close. The court was crowded to excess. At half-past ten Mr. O'connell entered, and was greeted with a tremendous and enthu- siastic burst of applause, which was reverberated again from the members of the bar. Mft O'connell seemed deeply affected, and bent his head in acknowledgment of the compliment. At eleven o'clock the Court sat, and Mr. Moore made an application that whatever sentence the Court should think fit to prouounce upon the traversers should be directed not to commence until such day as the Court in their discretion should think right to ...

SYDNEY NEWS. Wholesale Prices of Colonial Farm and Dairy Produce in the Sydney Markets during the present Week. Wheat.-Good samples are still in demand, but the figure remains stationary. Flour is also without any alteration. Maize.-The market is quite stocked with this article, and the best sample's are only bringing Is per bushel. Barley.-Good English is still in moderate demand ; but for samples of Cape there is scarcely any sale. Hay.-Good lucerne is rather scarce, and a little in demand. Oaten hay is plentiful, but principally of a very coarse description, particularly that which lias lately been sent from the Hunter. It would be well if the growers in that district would pay greater atten- tion to the growth of their hay, to be enabled to produce a finer and better kind, which would always command a good price, and take the preference in effecting sales. Bacon and Hams.-There is a fair demand for these articles, provided they arc suitable to the market, and not too fat. Eggs a...

Dredging: Machino Committee.-Survey of tbe River Hunter. LIST of ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS towards the expenses of a SURVEY of the RIVER HUNTER, from the head of New- castle Harbour to the Falls, West Maitland, by Mr. G. B. White (Licensed Surveyor for the Hunter River District), preparatory to renewing the application lately made to his Excellency the Governor for the employment of the Dredg- ing Machine in clearing out the obstructions existing to the navigation of that river. f £ s. d. Messrs.G. Wyndham, J.P. 2 0 0 W. Lipscomb. 0 10 0 L. Potts and Co. 0 10 0 Donald M'Intyre. 1 0 0 W. N. Palmer, Sydney - 1 0 0 Subscription lists are lying at the Bank of Australasia, Mr. Keddic's, and Mr. Slack's, East Maitland ; at Captain Russell's, Mr. Yeomans's, Mr. Poulton's, and the Mercury Office, West Maitland ; at Mr. Portus's, and Mr. Anlaby's, Morpeth ; and at Mr. P. J. Cohen's, Sydney. R. JONES, Secretary and Sub-treasurer. THE REGISTRIES of DOGS for the year 1844 expired on the 30th Sep...

TERMS. The "Maitland Mercury" is published every Saturday morning. The terms of subscription are:-In Maitland and Morpeth Is. 6d. per quarter, if paid in advance 6s. Qd.; in Sydney and the country 8*. per quarter, if paid in advance Is. The quarters end on the 31 si March, 30ift June, SOift September, and 31st Becember respectively, at which periods only subscribers can resign, by giving due notice. Parties residing in the country who do not order the paper through an agent will be required to pay in advance, or to give a reference to some party in Maitland. The charges for advertisements are :-For the first inch of space (eight lines) and under, 3s., and Is. per inch after, each insertion. Parties sending advertisements must state on them the number of times they are to be in- serted, or they will be continued until counter- manded, and charged accordingly. No verbal direction for the withdrawal or alteration of advertisements can be attended to. Adver- tisements will be received u...

COMMERCIAL REMARKS. A fair share of business has been this week transacted, though there arc no signs of any very great improvement in transactions gener- ally ; nor will there be probably until the wool season commences. The grain market still remains in an unaltered state, and no transactions of any consequence have taken place. Good bacon and hams are rather scarce, and there has consequently been a slight advance in the price, 3d per lb. being now given for these articles for the Sydney market. In hides there has been a considerable advance, in consequence of the demand for them in the English market ; green hides, if properly butchered, will now bring from 5s lo 6s each, and there has been also an advance upon dried salted hides well cured. Tea is selling at about the same price as usual, though at the last sale in Sydney the prices of some qualities were a shade lower. Dairy produce in Maitland remains stationary, though we have heard that butter in Sydney is rather on the dec...

X.ECISI.A.TIVS COTJlïCIl!. Tuesday, October 1, 1844. Mr. "Windeyer presented a petition from a number of the inhabitants of Muswell Brook, against the adoption of the general system of education recommended by the select com- mittee; and another petition from the same place in favour of Lord Stanley's system. Mr. Cowper brought up the report of the committee upon the registration of births, marriages, and deaths, together with the minutes of evidence which had been taken by the committee upon that subject, and it was ordered that the report and evidence should be printed. Mr. Windeyer presented petitions from Butterwick, Seaham, and Middleham; Ray- mond Terrace ; Falbrook ; and Paterson ; praying that the general system of education might not be adopted." The Colonial Secretary laid upon the table the return to an address moved for by Mr. Lowe, showing the amount of fees upon affi- davits received in the supreme court, both previous and subsequent to the appointment of Mr. Sydney Sm...

ST. JOHN'S CHURCH. On Wednesday last the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of St. John the Baptist's Church, West Maitland, was performed by the Rev. Mr. Lynch. At half past ten the congre- gation assembled in the chapel to hear Mass, which was celebrated by the Rev. Mr. Lynch, who briefly addressed the congregation on the nature of the ceremony about to be performed, and exhorted them to unite their prayers with his that the blessing of God might descend upon the work in which they were engaged. When divine service was over the congregation formed in procession in front of the chapel, the Rev. Mr. Lynch walking in his surplice and stole, preceded by an acholyte bearing a crucifix. The procession moved up Hunter-street and along High-street to the intended church, and on arriving there the rev. gentleman proceeded up to the spot where the altar is to be placed, and upon which a cross had been previously erected, and having sprinkled the ground with holy water he read the appro...

HUNTER RIVER DISTRICT NEWS. [from our correspondents.] MERTON. This district has been infested for a short time by a party of armed 'bushrangers, who have committed several robberies ; and on Monday, the 16th instant, when the mail was proceeding from this place to Cassilis, two men, armed each with a double-barrelled gun and three brace of pistols, stopped the postman, and took the mail bags and broke them open, and after overhauling the contents returned them all to the postman, with the exception of some Government Ga- zettes, which they took with them. The police are in pursuit, and it is expected they will soon be taken. The settlers in this neighbourhood are crying out for want of rain, and it is expected if there do not come some shortly there will be a com- plete failure of the wheat crops. 27 th September. SINGLETON. For some time a report has been in circulation that several gentlemen will shortly deliver lectures on the following popular and instructive subjects: History,...